Taxicab/car service reimbursement authorization may be offered to customers at the time of the reservation or in the event of a day of service issue. Advance taxi authorizations are currently permitted when traveling within the same borough.
Advance Taxi Authorization
When booking a trip via phone or in the MY AAR webpage or app, customers may request a taxi authorization for a trip. If approved, the customer is responsible for booking their own trip, paying for the trip, and then filing for reimbursement from AAR as detailed below. Trips may be taken via taxi, car service, or a For-Hire Vehicle.
Advance Taxi Authorization is only available for trips starting and ending in the same borough. However, Advance Taxi Authorization may also be offered for trips to specific destinations for further travel, even if the origin is not in the same borough. Those locations include:
- Grand Central Terminal/Grand Central Madison
- Penn Station
- Port Authority Bus Terminal
- LaGuardia Airport
- JFK Airport
- Brooklyn Cruise Terminal
- Manhattan Cruise Terminal
With Advance Taxi Authorization customers may take the trip anytime during the date it was approved for. The origin and destination of the trip should match what was included in the request. Receipts are reviewed by our team with an understanding that GPS data can pick up different, nearby addresses.
Day of Service Issue Taxi Authorization
If a customer’s scheduled AAR vehicle has not arrived within 20 minutes of the scheduled pick-up time, the customer may call the Paratransit Command Center at 1-877-337-2017 or 718-393-4999 and select option “3” to speak to a live agent about same-day trips. The representative will first find out the AAR vehicle’s estimated arrival time and advise the customer when the scheduled vehicle will arrive or whether AAR will dispatch an on-call vehicle to pick up the customer. If the scheduled vehicle or an on-call vehicle is not assigned and on its way to the customer, AAR will give the customer the option to use a taxi trip though the Taxi Authorization process. AAR will then reimburse the customer for the cost of the taxi or car service, as described below. All taxi reimbursements must be pre-authorized. Note: you can also track your scheduled AAR vehicle using the MY AAR app.
Taking an authorized taxi trip
When taxi service is authorized either in advance or due to a day of service issue, the customer is responsible for paying the full fare plus any tolls and obtaining a valid receipt from the driver. Only valid, licensed NYC Taxi and Limousine commissioned taxi, car service, or For-Hire Vehicle service receipts are qualified for reimbursement.
When using a taxi, obtain the receipt from the meter. When using a car service, the original receipt must be completed by the driver with the trip date, fare, car number, driver’s signature, and name and telephone number of the car service. Any tolls and/or tip must be identified with the request, or the fare indicated will be accepted as the total amount due. Blank receipts completed by customers will not be processed for reimbursement. When using Uber, Lyft, or other For-Hire Vehicle services, detailed electronic receipts are required.
Reimbursement process
Reimbursement requests must be submitted within 60 days of the trip. Customers can mail in a paper Taxi Reimbursement request available online or upon request, or submit the request through our online submission portal for a quicker turnaround.
AAR will reimburse the customer for the total cost of the trip (including no more than a 15% tip) minus the AAR paratransit fare of $2.90. AAR reserves the right to reject any taxicab/car service reimbursement, including, but not limited to, one or more of the following circumstances described here:
- Reimbursement requests postmarked 60 days after the taxi trip authorization
- Photocopied or faxed receipts
- Receipts completed by customers
- Failure to include valid car service receipts
- Car service business card submitted instead of a receipt
- Duplicate requests
- No trips scheduled for the receipt date, taxi trips that are not authorized by Access-A-Ride Paratransit, or cancelled trips that were subsequently taken
- Illegible, altered, or blank receipts
- Receipts with pick-up and drop-off addresses that do not match the original scheduled trip
- Meter receipts indicating “Negotiated Rate” or “Flat Rate”, except for Flat Rate receipts for trips to/from the airport
- Trip itineraries, booking confirmations, financial statements, bus fares, bank fees and invoices submitted instead of a receipt
- Round-trip receipts, manufactured receipts (i.e., customer created receipts), car service receipts with consecutive receipt numbers
- Receipts with excessive fare for the scheduled pick-up and drop-off locations
NYCT will not process and will return any requests that do not comply with this policy and/or include the necessary documentation. Customers should keep a copy of receipts for their records
Mailed requests for reimbursement should include the printed reimbursement form and be sent to the following address:
AAR Taxicab Reimbursements
NYCT-Paratransit
130 Livingston Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
As a reminder, reimbursement requests can also be submitted through our online portal for a faster response. Access the Taxi Reimbursement Portal.
Conditional taxicab or car service authorization
AAR may offer customers conditional authorization for a taxicab or car service. Conditional authorization is given to customers when it is not clear if the pick-up problem is the responsibility of AAR. Upon investigation, if AAR determines that the problem was the customer's responsibility, AAR will not reimburse the customer for that trip. If AAR determines that the problem was the responsibility of AAR, then the customer will be reimbursed upon receipt of the necessary documentation.